Vol. III No. 6 (376)
Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia
January 12, 2012
Philadelphia Daily Record
Sweet Treat
IN A WELCOME PIECE of good economic news, largest shipment of cocoa beans in US history arrived at Port this week. Story page 8.
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Calendar Jan.12“Men Only” Mtg. at Dobbins HS, 22nd & Lehigh Ave., 6 p.m. to address crime in neighborhoods. For info Irvin Shannon hvcorder@hotmail.com. Jan. 12State Rep. Pam DeLissio hosts town hall meeting at Society Hall, Simpson Hse., 2101 Belmont Ave., 7 p.m. For info (215) 482-8726 or (215) 879-8533. Jan. 18Port Richmond W. Community Action Network meeting at Trinity Presbyterian Ch., Frankford Ave. & Cambria St., 7-9 p.m. Guest: L&I Commissioner Fran Burns. For info Jason McDermott (267) 650-6168. Jan. 20ACE Women’s Forum presents Professional Women’s Roundtable Political Forum, “From Your House to the White House”, on political impacts on business, at ACE USA, 436 Walnut St., 5th fl., 8-10 a.m. Continental breakfast. For info Leigh Ann Campbell (267) 287-8497) or leighann@seamlesseventsinc.com. Register by Jan. 17. Jan. 21State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas
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hosts Weatherization & Energy Workshop at New Pathways for Women, Germantown Ave. & & Cumberland St., 10 a.m. Participating agencies include Energy Coordinating Agency of Phila., Phila. Corp. for Aging, PGW, PECO and Public Utilities Commission. Feb. 9Steve Aldrich of IBEW Local 269 invites all to reception in honor of State Rep. Tina Davis at Bailey’s Bar & Grille, 6922 Bristol Emilie Rd., Levittown, Pa. Host $1,000, Patron $500, Friend. $250, Supporter, $50. RSVP Seth Skversky (215) 5501186. Feb. 10Arthur Green presents 14th Ward Pre-Valentine’s Day Cabaret at Barber’s Ha., Broad & Oxford Sts., 9 p.m.-??? Donation $10. For info Arthur Green (267) 986-7948. Apr. 262012 Centennial Pk. Celebration honoring Joseph Manko, Ryan Howard and Vanguard at Phila. Horticultural Ctr., Montgomery Ave. & N. Horticultural Dr., 6 p.m. For tickets, etc. Arthur (215) 988-9341.
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Casey: White House, Congress Must Crack Down On China US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, released the following statement: “We now have further evidence our trade relationship with China is headed in the wrong direction. China’s surplus with the US hit a record $202 billion in 2011. The White House and Congress need to
get tough on China. That is why I urged Secretary Geithner last week to press this with Chinese officials on his trip and I have repeatedly urged the House to pass the bipartisan currency legislation. “As we prepare for the Senate to return to work, I will continue to fight for one of the most effective tools we have to level the playing
field for Pennsylvania workers – cracking down on China’s currency manipulation.” China’s General Administration of Customs announced its trade surplus with the United States increased to $202 billion from $181 billion in 2010.
Top Pittsburgh Leaders Come Out For Murphy For AG Pittsburgh’s top political and labor leaders endorsed Iraq War veteran and former prosecutor Patrick Murphy for Pennsylvania Attorney General. The list of supporters who threw their weight behind Murphy includes newly elected Allegheny Co. Executive Rich Fitzgerald, veteran Congressman
Mike Doyle and Philip Ameris, business manager for Laborers’ District Council of Western Pennsylvania. Also throwing their weight behind Murphy were State Reps. Dan Frankel and Dan Deasy, State Sen. Wayne Fontana, Pittsburgh City Controller Mike Lamb and City
Councilman Bill Peduto. Nearly running the table like this in the state’s second-largest city will boost Murphy’s chances as he competes against two other candidates from Eastern Pennsylvania, Dan McCaffery and Kathleen Kane.
GOP Slams Murphy For No Pa. Law Experience Democrat candidate for Attorney General never took the PA bar exam, has never tried a case in a Pennsylvania court. So charged Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason yesterday.
prepared to be Commonwealth’s chief law-enforcement officer. If he could not take this small step, we cannot trust him to lock up child predators, elder abusers and drug dealers.”
He continued this shows Murphy “has little respect for the Pennsylvania Constitution and should send a message to voters that he is not
Murphy, a Bucks Co. resident, was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 2004 based on his passing the Minnesota bar exam and five years
as an Army lawyer. Patrick Murphy told the Associated Press this week he took Minnesota’s bar exam after graduating from Widener University Law School in Harrisburg in 1999. He says he was entering the Army Judge Advocate General Corps and took the Minnesota test be-
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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD cause fellow officers told him he would get the results sooner. He
says he’s tried cases in federal, military and foreign courts, but so
far none in Pennsylvania.
Rafferty Bows Out Of Republican AG Race State Sen. John Rafferty (R-Montgomery), Republican candidate for State Attorney General, issued the following statement yesterday:
been forged and strengthened during this campaign. I trust that these friendships will persevere through passing political cycles.
“My campaign for Attorney General has afforded me a great opportunity; an opportunity to travel to every corner of our great state and learn firsthand the unique challenges facing the voters. I am humbled by the support I received from each region of our state and value the friendships that have
“While I remain encouraged by the support I have received from members of the Republican State Committee and respect the committee’s endorsement process, I also respect the role Gov. Tom Corbett plays as the titular head of our party. The Governor has communicated to me he will be sup-
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porting Cumberland Co. District Attorney David Freed for the Office of Attorney General; therefore, I will be suspending my campaign for the same office. I have gotten to know Dave Freed on the campaign trail. He is someone I like and one who has compiled a strong record as District Attorney. “I would like to personally thank all the members of the Republican State Committee who lent their support to my candidacy. In particular, I sincerely thank the Southeast Republican chairmen who were very early supporters of my endeavor. Additionally, I want to thank Sens. Joe Scarnati and Dominic Pileggi and the rest of my Senate colleagues who lent their unwavering support to my effort. Lastly, I want to thank my campaign chairman, Bob Asher. Bob is transcendent in the world of Pennsylvania Republican politics and provided instant credibility to my campaign.”
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Suit Calls Redistricting Plan Unconstitutional On behalf of a group of 13 Pennsylvania voters, the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia and the law firm Hogan Lovells asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court yesterday to reject the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s redistricting plan for the State House and Senate. The appeal to the Court charges that the plan, which would remain in effect for the next decade, “violates [the Pennsylvania Constitution] on a pervasive, statewide scale.” The challenge is being supported by the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters and Pennsylvania Common Cause. (See their statements below.) Though Article II, Section 16 of the State Constitution states, “[U]nless absolutely necessary no county, city, incorporated town, borough, township or ward shall be divided in forming either a senatorial or representative district,” the Commission’s plan splits counties, municipalities and wards 837 times in its districting for the House, and it splits the same communities 167 times for the Senate. The appeal explains that excessive splitting of communities “undermines the ability of the voters[.] to secure meaningful and effective legislative representation” in the interest of their community. Despite the Constitution’s clear language, the Commission’s plan
does not attempt to explain why these splits are “absolutely necessary,” and indeed the lawsuit demonstrates they could easily be avoided. An alternate plan designed by plaintiff Amanda E. Holt cuts the number of splits to less than half the Commission’s number while matching the Commission’s plan for population equality in each district. Holt’s plan also improves on the Commission’s compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act. Holt presented her plan at Commission hearings in both Allentown and Harrisburg. The Commission consists of the Republican and Democratic Party leaders in the House and Senate, and the State Supreme Court appointed the Commission’s chair after the Party leaders failed to agree on a fifth member. According to the appeal, the alternative plan does not draw districts based on where an incumbent legislator lives or on maintaining existing seats, but used only criteria set forth in the State Constitution and federal law-equal size, maintenance of established boundaries, compactness, contiguity, and the other requirements established in the federal Voting Rights Act. “This plan does not favor one party over another; it favors voters and the State Constitution,” said Michael Churchill, an attorney at the Public Interest Law Center of
Philadelphia. “By drawing legislative boundaries based on political factors and ignoring criteria in the Constitution, legislators are able to pick the people who vote in their elections, hindering the ability of voters to pick the legislators.” Examples of unnecessary splitting of communities include: Two Philadelphia wards (the 42nd and 49th) divided among five House seats in the Commission’s plan but not divided in the Holt alternative. Salisbury Township and South Whitehall in Lehigh Co., both divided among three House Representatives but not divided in the alternative. Lower Merion in Montgomery Co., split among four House seats but not divided in the alternative. Though the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has in fact never sustained an appeal of this sort, this is the first case to challenge a legislativereapportionment plan based on a complete state plan that maintains the same population equality for House and Senate seats as the Commission plan. Pro Bono counsel for the plaintiffs are David Newmann and Virginia A. Gibson of Hogan Lovells US LLP, and Michael Churchill of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia. Copies of the appeal are available on the Law Center’s website,
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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD www.pilcop.org, or upon request. More information on the Commission’s final plan and Ms. Holt’s al-
ternate proposal can be found at www.redistricting.state.pa.us and www.amandae.com or can be sup-
plied upon request.
Hearings Pore Over Refinery Closures State Rep. Stephen E. Barrar (RChester), majority chairman of the House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee, led two public meetings in Harrisburg Tuesday to discuss the complex issues involved in the closure of three Sunoco and ConocoPhillips oil refineries in southeastern Pennsylvania.
considering the blend’s small share in the global market.
“The impacts of these closures will have a ripple effect not only on the economy of the region, but also on the entire East Coast,” said Barrar. “We are concerned about the loss of potentially 20,000 jobs in the area, and these closures could also affect the price of home heating oil in Scranton, the cost to fill your car’s gas tank in Pittsburgh, and the price of shipped goods throughout the state if the charge for diesel fuel is increased.”
Jim Savage, with the United Steel Workers Local 10-1, and Denis Stephano, with the United Steel Workers Local 10-234, told how the facilities in Southeastern Pennsylvania stepped in to fill the gap when Hurricane Katrina knocked out the refinery capacity in the Gulf for several months in 2005. They painted a picture of how these closures will leave no margin for disruption in production without the possibility of gasoline, diesel and home heating oil shortages.
During a morning meeting, chaired by Barrar, House members from across the Commonwealth heard remarks from John Kulik, executive VP of the Pennsylvania Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. Kulik described how federal have led to the need for a specific gasoline blend in Pittsburgh. This specific blend represents only 3% of the domestic gasoline market, and Kulik expressed concern about the availability of this blend if refineries in Marcus Hook, Philadelphia and Trainer are permanently shuttered, 6|
Fuel from these three refineries provides for much of the Commonwealth’s petroleum needs, and supplies many areas of the East Coast. Western Pennsylvania receives its fuel directly from southeastern Pennsylvania via pipeline.
Public safety was also focused on. The Committee heard testimony from ConocoPhillips representatives David Erfert and Colin Franks, as well as John Pickering, Sunoco senior VP of manufacturing. Barrar said, “We need to know what types of hazardous materials are currently on site and what might remain as the facilities are closed down. We also need to know the emergency response
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plans they have in place, and how these closures will impact the surrounding emergency service providers.” Erfert explained the Trainer facility had been through a deinventory process and now only houses approximately 85% of the product and chemicals that were once on site. He said this has increased the safety of the facility, which is still fully staffed. When asked about the scenario at Sunoco’s Marcus Hook refinery, Pickering said its facility also is appropriately staffed and is still minimally in use. He said hydrocarbons have been greatly reduced, which has led to safer conditions there. James Schiliro, Mayor of Marcus Hook Borough, said the Marcus Hook Fire Dept. does not have the experience or equipment to handle a major refinery fire. Each facility currently has a fullystaffed emergency compliment with industrial firefighting equipment and systems. Although facility operators say there will be round-the-clock emergency coverage, the surrounding community is concerned about safety. During the hearing, industry professionals testified that they are still in the process of seeking qual-
THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD ified buyers for the facility, but dismantling the refineries and demolishing the facilities are possible if a sale is not completed before a set deadline.
“The best-case scenario is Sunoco and ConocoPhillips will find buyers for these facilities, saving thousands of jobs, ensuring the
continued and reliable supply of product, and allaying safety concerns,” said Barrar.
Brendan Boyle Seeks Justice For The Wrongly Convicted State Rep. Brendan Boyle (DNortheast) is planning to introduce legislation that would enable innocent people to be set free if wrongfully convicted. Currently, prosecutors are only legally and ethically required to turn over exculpatory evidence evidence that may clear a defendant of guilt – before that person is convicted, not post-conviction. “My legislation would make the withholding of this evidence, regardless of when it is obtained, a violation of the defendant’s rights,” Boyle said. Prosecutors would be required to turn over exculpatory evidence within 5 busi-
ness days of obtaining it. Boyle cited a 2001 Dauphin County court case in which the defendant was convicted of burglary and other charges and sentenced to 22 to 70 years in prison. Five years later, the prosecuting attorney discovered DNA evidence that exonerated the defendant, but did not disclose that information until several more years had passed, when the defendant filed an unrelated petition for post-conviction relief. Marissa Bluestine, legal director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, stated, “While there have
been isolated incidents of intentional misconduct by prosecutors, we are grateful for the prosecutors who serve their functions every day with honor and integrity. No prosecutor wants an innocent person in prison. This legislation provides guidance for prosecutors in handling issues which arise in the post-conviction setting where no current guidelines exist. Together with SBs 1337 and 1338, pending before the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee, Rep. Boyle’s proposal is geared toward the particular goal of ensuring that only the guilty are prosecuted and the innocent go free.”
Lowery Brown Announces PLBC Scholarships State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown (D-W. Phila.) urged graduating high-school seniors planning to enroll in a college or university in Pennsylvania for the 2012-13 academic year to consider applying for the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus scholarship. Brown said the high-school senior must be an ethnic minority student, have a minimum grade point
average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, reside in the designated districts, demonstrate leadership, and have work experience. “Students should move quickly to apply,” Brown said. Only the first 250 applications submitted will be considered. Five selected seniors each will receive a $1,000 scholarship to use toward tuition at a Pennsylvania college or university.
The deadline to submit an application is Sunday, Feb. 12. To obtain an application and more details about the program, students can visit www.pahouse.com/plbc. If they have any additional questions about the PLBC Scholarship Program, applicants can contact Brown’s office at (717) 783-3822.
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Port Welcomes New Year With Record Cargo Of Cocoa Beans The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority’s dedicated cocoa-handling facility at Pier 84 is no stranger to large shipments of cocoa beans from the world’s cocoa-producing nations, with the facility routinely establishing and breaking records based on the size of the shipments it receives. This happened yet again during the first week of January 2012, when the M/V Pacific Tramp arrived at Pier 84 with its load of 19,328 metric tons of cocoa beans (totaling 293,755 bags of cocoa beans), yet another new record for the United States and this facility. Port officials are optimistic this current shipment continues the recent upward trend in cocoa cargoes at the Port of Philadelphia, as total cocoa bean cargoes handled at Port in 2011 were up over 26% compared to 2010. A spectacular sight along the north berth of Pier 84 for the several days it took to discharge its cargo, the M/V Pacific Tramp is a newly built vessel chartered by the Hamburg-based logistics company Unicargo. The vessel left Pier 84 on schedule on Tuesday, shortly after completing its discharge operation. The Pacific Tramp’s cargo originated in Africa’s Ivory Coast, at the Ports of Abidjan and San Pedro, with the final destination of the cocoa beans being various 8|
grinders and processors located throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond. A sizable portion of the vessel’s cargo is destined for Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, located just outside Philadelphia in Eddystone, Pa. Dependable Distribution Services is a leading handler of cocoa beans and cocoa products in the Philadelphia region, offering a variety of value-added services in addition to its primary discharge operations at Pier 84. That fact, coupled with Pier 84’s close proximity to the region’s many chocolate manufacturers and cocoa processors, makes it a force in the region and the first choice among many shippers and receivers of cocoa beans. “I’m truly pleased to welcome the M/V Pacific Tramp to the Port of Philadelphia and Pier 84,” said Harvey Weiner, president of DDS, upon meeting Capt. Zewan Smit, Master of the Pacific Tramp, on Friday. Joining Weiner on the bridge of the vessel to meet Capt. Smit were PRPA Director of Marketing Sean Mahoney, Director of Communications Joseph Menta and Marketing Representative Frank Camp. The group later greeted representatives of Barry Callebaut, which shortly arrived to see the vessel and the portion of the cargo that their company
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owned. Continued Weiner, “Everyone here today – the Port, the carrier, the terminal operator, and the customer – are necessary components in making a major piece of port activity like this one, with all its economic benefits, a reality. When you have a great team, great things happen.” Barry Callebaut, whose world headquarters is in Switzerland, will be undergoing major expansion at its Eddystone facility in its effort to more efficiently serve both the regional artisan/chef trade as well as more traditional food manufacturers. Another regional customer receiving a large portion of the Pacific Tramp’s cocoa-bean cargo was Archer Daniels Midland of Hazelton, Pa. A leading producer of high-quality cocoa ingredients, ADM’s cocoa-processing and chocolate-manufacturing facility in Hazelton became fully active in 2010. The company’s recent activities further contribute to Philadelphia and the surrounding region’s reputation as a major distribution and manufacturing center for cocoa. Upon being briefed on the new year’s record cocoa cargo, PRPA Chairman Charles P. Kopp said, “This is a great example of the kinds of things that happen when
THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD the public and private sectors bring their individual talents together.” For Unicargo’s Olaf Dimter, the vessel’s operator, the discharge operation at Pier 84 was the final piece of a logistics puzzle that began weeks before in Africa. Dimter remarked, “While Philadelphia’s proximity to our final customers put it under natural consideration as our destination port, its reputation for a quality operation was equally important in our decision to go there.” PRPA is pleased to report it recently concluded negotiations which will extend DDS’s lease at Pier 84 to 2018.
Guv Taps Locals For Workforce Board Gov. Tom Corbett announced the following recent appointments of Philadelphians yesterday to the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board: Boise Butler III, leading of the Longshoremen’s Union; John Dougherty, leader of the Electricians’ Union; Lorenzo North, leader of the Prison Guards Union; Michael Tierney, attorney at Dilworth Paxson; and Andrew C. Wheeler, a corporate recruiter at Diversified Search.
St. Gobain Names New Corpo Communicator Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building-materials company, has announced the appointment of Carmen Ferrigno as VP of communications for Saint-Gobain Corp. (Saint-Gobain’s North American holding company). In this role, Ferrigno will be a member of Saint-Gobain’s North American Executive Committee and will report to John Crowe, president and CEO of both Saint-Gobain and its largest North American subsidiary, CertainTeed Corp. “Carmen is an award-winning communications executive with exceptional strategic positioning and brand/reputation management skills,” said Crowe.
Ferrigno will be responsible for all aspects of external and internal corporate communications, including crisis-communications counsel, reputation management and corporate social responsibility through the SaintGobain Corp. Foundation. In addition, Ferrigno will have overall responsibility for the company’s inhouse marketing-communications agency. Ferrigno has a BA and a Master’s degree in English and writing from Rutgers University. He has held a wide range of senior corporate- and marketing-communications positions, including 12 years with Rohm & Haas Co. Most recently he was director of global communications for a major division of Dow Chemical Co. Saint-Gobain has its North American headquarters in Valley Forge, Pa. As the world leader in sustainable habitat, Saint-Gobain is committed to inventing solutions to help professionals and communities around the world build and renovate comfortable, healthy, economical and energy-efficient buildings. The company has approximately 19,000 employees and reported sales of approximately $7.3 billion in 2010 in North America. Recognized as a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the US Environmental Protection Agency, Saint-Gobain earned the 2011 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. For information about Saint-Gobain in North America, visit www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com
Philly CBP Bags Record Pounds Of Cocaine At Airport In what authorities believe to be the largest Customs & Border Protection cocaine seizure recorded at Philadelphia International Airport, CBP officers discovered about 130 lb. of the white, powdery narcotic bundled in three unattended duffel bags Sunday. The cocaine has an approximate street value of about $4 • PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM
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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD million. According to CBP records dating back to 1990, the earliest that details could be queried, this is the largest cocaine seizure the agency has recorded at the airport. It surpasses the previous largest documented seizure of 55 lb. on Aug. 5, 2000.
der before it can hurt our families and our communities. Any day that we can remove 130 lb. of cocaine from circulation is a good day.” Officers made no arrests. An investigation continues.
It is also the 10th-largest seizure recorded in the Area Port of Philadelphia, which also includes sea ports of entry. The largest documented seizure, 6,427 lb. of cocaine, occurred on Jun. 21, 1996
CBP officers collected the three unattended bags, which arrived on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, after passengers departed the international inspection station. A CBP narcotics-detector dog then sniffed the bags and alerted to the possible presence of narcotics.
“This is by far the largest amount of cocaine that any of us can remember seizing in the airport environment in Philadelphia,” said Allan Martocci, CBP port director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “The volume alone raises concern for us. CBP officers remain steadfastly vigilant to stop narcotics here at our bor-
Officers unpacked the bags’ contents and discovered a total of 52 bricks wrapped inside blankets – two bags contained 18 bricks each; the third contained 16 bricks. The bricks, which weighed a combined 59.2 kilograms, or 130 lb., 8 oz., field-tested positive for the presence of cocaine.
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